The Shinigami That Was Spirited Away
by Period Period Period QMark
Summary: Honey-roasted nuts in one hand, a sort of melancholy in the other. I watched him work. My face lit up when he found an answer. Rukia's POV. IchiRuki! This story is Rated T for a reason. NOTE: Off hiatus!
1. Tomorrow Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away or Bleach. Word Count: 645 **

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_The evening breeze had wandered in through the window. Not even the strongest __current could disturb Ichigo when he was at work. His eyes were settled on the computer screen. His fingers were typing at a frequency I had never seen before. Honey-roasted nuts in one hand, a sort of melancholy in the other. I watched him work. My face lit up when he found an answer. He turned around and had a satisfied smirk on his face._

"Rukia, you free this weekend?" Ichigo asked. It had been many weekends since our last 'ghost' hunt. Ichigo wanted to go to locations of ghost sightings to see how good of a hoax it was. The truth was, that he was bored. He always carried a shinigami badge in his pocket, but he rarely ever used it. I sighed. "Sure. What did you find this time?" I cherished these rare moments where Ichigo actually did some research. "It's near some town in Osaka." I crinkled my nose. "We've already went to all the spots nearby?" "Anything in _Japan _is nearby." Ichigo protested. "Continue," I ordered. "It's an old shrine near a residential complex. Most of the people known to venture into the shrine don't return. Award-winning author Chihiro Ogino and her parents are the only people known to exit the shrine. They were there for at least three days," Ichigo recited.

"Ah, Ogino? I haven't taken the time to read her novel. I hear it received many prestigious awards." I said. "So what you're implying is that she got an inspiration for her story and stayed there for a few days?" Ichigo questioned. "That had never occurred to me." I replied. Yes, Ichigo was using the muscle that mattered: his brain. If only he used it more often, I wouldn't have to mentor him. It would be at least one hundred years before that could happen. Too many years of him going ghost hunting. A bit like the _Ghostbusters._ "Hello? Earth to Rukia?" He waved his hand in front of me as if he was trying to fan me. "Don't just stare into space. Answer me, Rukia!" I shook my head and fell back into a closet. "When are we leaving?" I mumbled. "Tomorrow night," He turned off the computer, shut the drafty window, and went to bed without turning the lights off. Luckily I did that for him. His tired and trembling fingers couldn't even pull back the sheets of his own bed. He was so exhausted he forgot to tell me not to eat my honey-roasted nuts in the closet.

So I sat there in the closet, doodling in my sketchbook under a stolen flashlight (taken from the kitchen drawer!). I knew Ichigo only discovered the ghost sighting location because Chihiro Ogino's 18th birthday was within less than a week. Chihiro was a child prodigy, writing her first and most successful novel when she was 10. It was an autobiography in a way, She said, but using her imagination and keeping an open mind was the key. _We'll see if it's more than just imagination,_ I thought to myself. I decided to spare the flashlight batteries and turn the light off. My inner voice was nagging me to turn it back on. I was about to sleep, so why did I need to turn it back on? I ignored the predicament, and my mind slowly turned off. I felt my body twist and roll over, but I could do nothing about it. I felt myself bump into the flashlight, turning it on in the process.


	2. The Bookstore

_Rays of sunshine leaked through the blinds of Ichigo's bedroom window. __Rukia had woken up and found Ichigo snoring. She thought it unusual for Ichigo to be snoring (unless he really was tired), so she went to finish her task. She was going to the bookstore to buy __Spirited Away__. Or better yet, find it at the library. With luck, there'd still be one copy left on the shelves. _

I squinted. Ichigo should really close the blinds in his bedroom. I was no longer in pajamas but now in my shinigami uniform. I figured that it would be easier to get the book with no one aware of my presence. Last night I wasted the flashlight batteries, so I have to get more of them. In addition, I have to get past the snoring Ichigo and open the window. _Ichigo snores quietly, _I noted. Ah yes, he was drooling on his pillow. Another reason why I enjoy mentoring him. I backed up, and then I sprang off the floor and almost landed on the window. I landed on Ichigo's legs instead.

Ichigo yawned. _I woke him up! _I had to get out of that position fast, so I threw open the window and leaped out, just in time before Ichigo came to his senses. "What the…" I overheard him say. I stood still, not moving a single muscle.

…Then I ran like hell.

Eventually, I ran into the street, straight into the path of a car. And not just any car, it was an SUV. _Why does life keep throwing this at me? _I thought. I flash stepped into another direction in a split second.** SPLAT!** I fell face first onto the concrete at the other side of the street. Had it been not for that, I would've been trampled by an oncoming barrage of cars and trucks. Apparently, there was a traffic jam nearby and it was affecting many people. It was my perfect opportunity to break into the bookstore.

I sprinted past the High School and into the 'Downtown' area. I always wonder why humans call these areas such strange names. I saw there was a very large crowd gathering in front of one of the stores. It was not the bookstore, but the Rent & Buy Video Store. Because of the massive pedestrian and automobile traffic, the bookstore was open; but no one was entering it. Ah well, it was just my lucky day. I made my way past the crowds and into the bookstore. To my surprise, the entire building was empty. There were no shelves, no boxes, no books…not even the cashier's desk. To my dismay, it was _completely _empty.

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**Word Count: 490**


	3. Books Can Knock You Out

I wandered across the street to see what the big fuss was about. I felt like I was missing out. Even though there was a chance that it was something trivial, my curiosity took over. By the time I left the empty building, the crowd was diminishing and the sign displayed in the window was visible.

It read: 'Ogino Chihiro Signing Books On the 3rd!' In large bold print. Underneath it was a sticker that read: 'BOOK SOLD OUT'. "What now?" I said. A thought came to mind. "The library." Even though it was a lucky shot, I thought I might try it.

I navigated my way through Downtown, though it seemed there were endless hordes of people and cars. In the end, I had to jump on top of buildings just to get past the massive amount of pedestrians. I needed to find the tallest building to get a good view. When I did find the tallest building, I flash stepped onto it's ledge. I was ten stories up. The breeze was really strong on the roof. It was clear to me now why there was no wind on ground level. I would need to search quickly.

Scanning from right to left, I intensely studied the buildings. I found a library that was far up to the north. I guessed that I would be there in a few minutes. I was about to take a step forward before something swept me off my feet. If the current was this strong I should've noticed before. But no, it wasn't the wind. Something solid lifted me up and carried me towards the library at a high speed. I looked over my shoulder but I saw nothing, as if I was being moved by an invisible force. It was such incredible force that when I hit the library doors, I was knocked unconscious.

So I found myself in the closet again with a very sore forehead. I slid open the door and found Ichigo sitting on the bed, staring back at me with a scowl on his face. I should have seen this coming. He even went to the length of staring at me to make me feel unpleasant. He finally said, "KO'd in front of a library?" "I wanted to get a book, that's all." He gazed at me again. He replied, "The library is closed on weekends. Didn't you know that?" My inner voice said _D'oh. _I blinked a few times and then shook my head.

"Well, we should be packing up now." Ichigo said, getting up from his seat. "When are we leaving, then?" I asked. "One hour." I widened my eyes. "But it's only 10 am!" "When I said 'tomorrow night', I meant that we would get there at night or possibly at sundown. In order for that to happen, we need to leave in an hour or less; and we have to use flash step." He said, packing his ghost-hunting backpack with clothes and granola bars. "And your body?" I questioned. "I'll put Kon in it. And where's your gigai?" "I gave it back to Urahara some time ago." I stated. I grabbed my backpack and started packing snacks, clothes, and my cell phone. It wouldn't be long before we left Karakura Town.

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**I think I'll update more on weekends than weekdays. Word Count: 587**


	4. On The Freeway

It was unusual for us to be traveling without the cover of night. Ichigo slid the soul candy into his mouth. Then he was forced out of his body and fell back onto the sidewalk. "Kon, promise me you'll do good during the time we're away." Ichigo commanded, snatching his backpack from the Mod-soul. "I'll do good, allriiight. Heh heh." Kon responded slyly. He immediately received a slap in the face from none other than Ichigo. "That's for trying to be a nuisance." The way it sounded when Ichigo's hand connected, I'd say it was a painful slap. Kon, in Ichigo's body, wondered hazily off the sidewalk and then collapsed.

"You do realize you could've punched him, right?" I suggested. "Naw, then I think I would've broken some bones." Ichigo replied, slinging his backpack over his left shoulder."You ready?" I asked. "Ready as ever. I have a sore knuckle, though." He said, shaking his hand to make sure it was flexible. Then we set off for the road that would lead us out of Karakura. Sometimes when I flash step, I feel as if I'm going as fast as the winds in a typhoon. This was one of those times. I felt lighter than air, more agile than a sparrow. And in a few minutes, we were on the highway.

We were passing many cars and signs, but I didn't stop to read them. Ichigo did, as he knew the directions. But it felt fun to run so fast, even if my feet ached and I ran out of energy. If Ichigo wasn't so busy fighting when he was in Bankai mode, I think he'd enjoy it too. _We'll get to Osaka and the shrine in no time at all, _I thought. Then I thought some more. "Ichigo, isn't Osaka a strange place for a ghost-sighting?" I said. "Why do you ask?" He slowed down his pace. "Well, usually we see some ghost-sightings in some out-of-the-way places, or that are abandoned. What's different about this one is that it's in the middle of an urban area."

Ichigo strapped on his backpack and continued flash stepping. "It is odd, now that I think about it. But thats how hoaxes are. Maybe this one just wants more attention." He replied. My eye twitched. "Somehow, I don't think this is a hoax. I don't even think this is a ghost-sighting anymore! Maybe some people just misinterpreted it or maybe it's just a myth. It was Chihiro's inspiration for a book, after all. I doubt she wrote about meeting spirits." I declared. Ichigo looked at me as if I had gone insane.

"Anyways," He said, attempting to change the subject. "We've covered a few miles. Let's stretch our legs."

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**Hello everyone! Please tell me if I'm updating too fast. I just have tons of free time. o_o Word Count: 517**


	5. Flying High

It was midday. The heat beat down on our exhausted bodies, as if the sun were trying to fry us. We hadn't taken a break in quite a while; Ichigo was determined. He wanted to get to the shrine faster, so he was pushing himself to the limit. I did slow to a run a few times, but then I remembered that if I stayed in one spot too long, the hot pavement would burn me alive. I was wise enough not to take a break. That was, until we saw a body that was laying on the side of the road. It was a young girl, whose hair was cut short. She was literally all white. Her hair, clothes, and even her skin was pale. She seemed to be wearing a robe, like the robes nobles wore in the Soul Society.

Ichigo and I ran to her. We wondered if she was dead, so her soul couldn't be too far away. Ichigo stood over the body and I crouched down to feel her pulse. When I did, the girl opened her eyes. She was startled by our appearance, so she got up and began to run. But I had caught a glimpse of something unusual: there was no soul chain on her chest. If the situation weren't so unusual already, I really would have been surprised. I looked at Ichigo and he nodded. We had to follow her. Pushing our strength that was already limited, I grabbed his hand and I shot forward.

We were helping each other. I gripped his hand so firmly that I didn't believe he could free himself from my grasp. That was an advantage and a disadvantage. I made sure that he didn't slow down or else I would've dragged him along with me. He would make sure I didn't slow down either; he would just stop and wait. He knew how irritated that made me. So we ran together, hoping that nothing disastrous would occur. We tried to sprint faster as the girl ran out of sight. We couldn't even flash step! I wondered how many miles it took to make us this tired.

Suddenly, something swept us both up by our feet. Ichigo was raised up first by the lift, so he helped me get up. It was that same feeling, the invisible force, the frightening speed…soon we were flying high above the beltway. "This is how I was knocked out, Ichigo! Something lifted me up and flew me straight at the library doors!" I shouted over the moving air around us. "Well, at least make sure you don't fall off! I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride!" Ichigo shouted back. I nodded and looked at the ground below. Even though we had a bird's eye view, I couldn't find the little girl anywhere.

"We should probably use this as an opportunity to eat." Ichigo said, un-strapping his bag from his back and opening it. "Never mind about eating," I said, yawning. "I'm going to sleep." Ichigo nodded while he was rummaging through his backpack. "Suit yourself." He said softly. I lied down and I felt the burden of the bag on my back slowly wear off. I was falling asleep again. Ah well, it wouldn't matter. We would probably be in the Osaka prefecture by the time I wake up.

*~*~*

**Happy Holidays! It's December 1st! I hope you have a good time. Word Count: 608**


	6. Falling Down

My eyes opened. I felt my ears popping and saw that we were still in the clouds, and we were moving at a slower pace. I sat up and saw Ichigo sleeping in front of me. His hands were crossed on his chest, and it seemed that he had been waiting for me to wake up before he fell asleep, too. His mouth was closed, though. It would've been a rewarding sight to see him drooling. I sighed to myself and stretched my arms. I accidentally touched a cloud and got my hand wet. Then I had an idea. I was really thirsty, after all. I opened my mouth, closed my eyes, and leaned slightly to the side. I washed my face and collected many drops of water on my tongue.

I enjoyed doing this so much that I wish I could put my head in the clouds all day. But that was impossible. How was I supposed to enjoy myself when I was in the world of the living, and when my true home is in the Seiretei? I should be with my brother, and not Ichigo. Then why did I enjoy being with this delinquent so much? _Ichigo isn't a delinquent. He's better than Byakuya. You know that! _My inner voice told me. _Be quiet, _I mentally told my conscience. _I need to think. _I let my body fall sideways for a moment, and then I fell off of the invisible force.

I was falling through the clouds, face first. My hair blew away from my face, and then the clouds cleared. I saw the sun lower in the sky. The sky was dark pink, shades of orange, and scarlet. I saw the reflection of the sunlight in a small creek down below me. I wanted to stop and stand on the air to look at the sunset, but I didn't have to. I was already free falling and in a trance. Then Ichigo fell beside me. "You do know that you forgot your backpack, right?" I said. "You did, too." He replied, his brow furrowed. I felt around my back with my hand. My pack was gone, just like his.

"So what now?" I asked. "What do you mean '_What now?' _?Now, we stop falling." He said, grabbing my arm and stopping us in mid-air. He stood up and let go of me. I got up and stood in the sky. I looked at the sun. It wasn't too close to the horizon, so I would say it was 5 o' clock. Ichigo looked below us at the small stream that flowed underground, surrounded by open field. "I believe this would be the proper time to say 'What now'." I proposed, sticking my tongue into my cheek. Ichigo looked down and said, "That stream is what is left of the Kohaku River. To reach the shrine, we need to follow it north."

"The Kohaku River?" I wondered. "It was an old river that was filled in when the land was bought by a company. Apartments were built over it. You used to be able to follow the river to the shrine." Ichigo recited again, purely from memory. "Oh," I nodded. Then both of our stomachs grumbled. We looked at each other and sighed in unison. I looked forward towards the sun. "Where did you say you could get udon noodles?" I asked.

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**Argh. I have a busy schedule! I might be able to post the next chapter tomorrow. Anyways, please review ~ ! Word Count: 632**

**P.S. Thanks to everyone who favorited and alerted this. You're the best! :D**


	7. Found

Ichigo and I walked in the field, catching all kinds of fragrances with our noses, and spinning in circles along with the breeze. The sun wasn't getting any lower in the sky, nor was it getting higher. We were already 'late', as Ichigo said, so we had to hurry. Staying and embracing the beauty of the field was not what I could call hurrying, but it was as fast as we could go for the time being. I was beginning to think Ichigo was rubbing off on me. I also believed that he was doing it on purpose. We reached a point when the field sloped down to another road. We both made a mental note: the field was on a hill.

I looked at him and nodded. He nodded back. We slid down the hill on our backs and did a somersault at the bottom. I bumped my head on the road's pavement, though, before I could finish my somersault. I crouched down and held my head. "Ow," I mumbled. Ichigo tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to look up. Up ahead was the residential complex. Also up ahead was the road leading up to the shrine. "Shouldn't we eat first?" I said blankly. "We've come all this way just to eat first?" He said. He took me by the hand and dragged me towards the hill on the other side of the road.

When we came to the fork in the road, we went to the one that had a dirt path and vegetation around it. From there, we marched up the hill. It appeared that there had been some rain before we arrived in Osaka. When I wasn't careful, I slipped on a puddle of mud and fell to the ground. "Well, you can't say I wasn't supporting you." Ichigo called out from behind me. I glared at him and kept walking up the hill. "I wonder…" I raised one foot in front of the other. "what it's like up there." I began to trudge through the mud. "What do you mean? You said it yourself that you thought this case would be like the others." Ichigo said.

"It's time for me to have an open mind." I said, turning to face him. "I can't be adamant about my opinion all the time." Ichigo smirked. We continued trudging through the mud. The sun was still in the sky, even though it already felt like night. _Sleeping has messed up my sense of time, _I thought. I wearily endured the mud, the only factor not stopping me was determination. Then I discovered my feet could go no further. Ichigo took this opportunity to get past me, but I struggled to move out of the filthy mud. As a last resort, I stuck my hands in the dirt and crawled out on all fours. Miraculously, only my feet were left soiled.

"Look! The entrance!" Ichigo shouted. A grin stretched across his face. He almost ran to the entrance without me, but waited for me to catch up to him. When I walked up to him, we both raced to the entrance of the shrine. An old, faded sign was hanging from it. In front of the entrance was a small statue that was covered in moss. The entrance of the building was so dark that I couldn't see through it. Chugging noises from a nearby train could be heard. "Looks irregular. I have a feeling this is going to be a good one," Ichigo grinned wider. "Let's go," I ordered with a hint of excitement.

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**Hello everyone! I know this chapter has lack of plot development, but at least I can bring you a chappie each day! ^^ I think this chap shows just how people can find what they're searching for -- even when they're not looking.**

**Word Count: 675**


	8. Lost

We went through the tunnel and saw a vast field, just like the one we came from. In the middle of the field there was a small stream and a few stepping stones in it. Past that, there were many buildings painted bright colors. I could tell most of them were restaurants. "What kind of standard of living do these people have?" said Ichigo, running towards the stream. "Ichigo, wait!" I called after him. I jumped over the small stream and followed him. "Something smells good," He said, sniffing the air. "I'm starving." He followed the scent around the various buildings and then turned a corner.

"It's here!" Ichigo shouted. I followed him to a stand where all kinds of meat and pork were. "Stop," I reached out and caught him before he ate anything. "It could be poisoned." He looked at the food hastily and groaned, clutching his stomach. He looked at me and looked at the food again. "You win this round, Kuchiki." He moaned. "Hey, I'm as hungry as you are." I snapped. In the center of all buildings, there were stairs leading to a large lantern. After it, there was a large structure which could be used as the main government building. A bridge linked the mainland to the structure.

We walked up the stairs. "There is a possibility that we'll be seeing the ghosts soon," Ichigo said, crossing his arms. When we stepped onto the bridge, the hungriness we felt disappeared. Below me, I heard the distant chugging of the train. "Wow, a train still passes through here? I thought this place was abandoned." Ichigo said. "How do you explain the fresh cooked food we found, then?" I questioned. "Partly abandoned." He corrected. I looked below me from the side of the bridge. "I wonder where the train goes," I said. Then we heard a noise that startled us both. We froze in our positions.

Out of the large building came a young boy dressed in attire similar to nobles' worker clothes. He had sea-green hair, and emerald eyes. He was startled by our appearance, also. "Who are you?" He asked. "Uh…" Ichigo said, trying to think of something to say. "This isn't where you belong." The boy said, not giving us a chance to finish. "Leave at once, before Yubaba finds you here." "Who's Yubaba?" I asked. "You're a spirit, and yet you don't know who she is?" He looked concerned. "We're not spirits! We're living humans!" Ichigo burst. "Humans?!" The boy's eyes widened. I wasn't a human, but this was likely to get us out of trouble.

The sky began to turn dark. "They're lighting the lamps…" The mysterious boy said. "Hurry, get across the bridge! _Leave!_" He pushed us off the bridge. Without thought, we ran towards the field from where we came. When we got to the place where the small stream was, there was a river instead. It was now completely dark and the city lights on the other side of the river shined. There was a ship crossing the river that was about to dock. "Hide!" I hissed. We hid behind a large rock. Strange creatures began to unload from the boat. Ichigo looked at me with a mischievous smile on his face. "Fine, fine, I admit it. Maybe she _did _write about meeting spirits." I whispered reluctantly.

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**Finally! We're at the bathhouse. What will happen next? Word Count: 631**

**P.S. Thanks Ari! Here is your daily dosage of my story! Be sure to take in only one chapter at a time. ^^**


	9. Pinch

"Fine, fine, I admit it. Maybe she _did _write about meeting spirits." I whispered reluctantly. "Heh. Told ya so." He chuckled. "You never said anything about that!" I murmured. "You should've just assumed." "Well, there's a saying in the human world that is 'Assuming just makes you seem like a --" Ichigo put a finger to his lip in the middle of my sentence. I stopped. Was I speaking louder than I was supposed to? The answer came when we heard footsteps in our direction. _Uh oh. _I thought. We chose to desperately make a run for it.

We ran all the way past the huge lantern, which was now lit. We hid in the bushes across from the huge structure. From here, we could see the spirits crossing the bridge and entering the building. "Do you have any idea?" I hoarsely asked Ichigo. "About the spirits? No, not really." He bent down to try to see through the bushes. "There's a good chance they don't know what shinigami are." He said. "If they've never tried to pass on to the next life, I don't think they have even heard of shinigami." I added. "Maybe this is like their own spirit world. It's separated from the real world, and humans can only enter it if they accidentally go through the passageway." He explained.

"And where would the passageway be?" I asked. Ichigo thought for a moment. "The bridge!" He muttered. I also thought for a second, and then nodded in agreement. Before we had crossed the bridge, there were no signs of spirits anywhere. And when we stepped onto the bridge, all of our hunger seemed to vanish. Then we saw the mysterious boy. Who was he? How could he be a spirit? _Or maybe… _I thought. "Ichigo, can you pinch me?" I asked him in a hushed voice. "Pinch you?" He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Just do it." I commanded.

"Fine, but it's going to hurt." He said. He got his head out of the bushes and squeezed his fingers against my skin. It _hurt_. I almost yelped, but I used my free hand to cover my mouth. "So I'm not dreaming," I whispered. "Course not. Quit kidding around." He said quietly. He stuck his face back in the bushes, and then he yanked it out. It looked like he had seen an actual ghost. He was looking at his palms. "_My hands are turning invisible, Rukia! We have to do something…_" He murmured in an insistent voice. Then he looked at me and went pale. He pointed at my hands. I looked at them. They were turning invisible, too.

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**There is going to be a chapter tomorrow, sorry.**

**Word Count: 490**


	10. Crossing The Bridge

"We're…turning invisible?" I rubbed my hands together. My hand was still fading away. "Now _this _calls for drastic measures." Ichigo said in a soft tone. "But what should we do?" We suddenly heard many screams and shouts comming from the bridge. Ichigo and I looked through the bush. We saw the same boy we encountered earlier running across the bridge, scanning left and right. Then he saw us peering through the bush. He rushed to us and tried to remain unseen. "Now would be the perfect time to say 'What Now?'. " Ichigo joked. "I don't want it to be to over-used." I protested. I squinted at him.

The boy came over by us. I said nothing, instead showing him my disappearing hand. He crouched down by the bush and looked at Ichigo and me. "Looks like you didn't escape in time." He said solemnly. Ichigo looked like he was going to object, but he only silently nodded. "You'll have to eat some food in this world if you want to survive." He continued, handing us both a small piece of food. "Looks like soul candy. Do we have to chew this?" I asked. "Yes, chew." He answered. I put the food in my mouth and chewed it. I turned to Ichigo and said, "This tastes like gum!" "What if it _is_ gum?" He said back. I didn't know what he meant by that, but was it possible he still thought this was a hoax?

"Why did we turn transparent?" Ichigo asked. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. He opened it again to warn us, "Quick! Crouch down behind the bush!" He covered us up by putting his hands against the wall over us. I saw a strange falcon in the sky. It had a very large head, and almost looked human. "The witch Yubaba is making her rounds." He said. "Who is Yubaba?" I asked frantically. "Yubaba is the sorceress who rules the bathhouse. If you humans don't find a job, she will turn you into pigs." I widened my eyes. "I know you have more questions, but not now." "Could you at least tell us your name?" Ichigo demanded. "My name is Kohaku. I will help you return to your world," He smiled in assurance. His smile quickly broke up when he tried to assess the situation.

He turned back to us. "Both of you, get up." We did as we were told. "Follow me," He said. He went to a garden and opened the gate. To the side of that, there was the bridge. "I've cast a spell on you both," He explained, opening the gate. "...so that you can't be seen. You must hold your breath when you're crossing the bridge. Even the tiniest breath will break the spell," Kohaku turned to us. "Are you ready?" He asked. Ichigo nodded, and I almost forgot to nod. I was dumbstruck. We were on a ghost-hunt, yet it ended up being something more. "Are you _ready_?" Kohaku asked again. I snapped out of my thought and nodded.

I breathed in and held it. So did Ichigo. In a few seconds, we were on the bridge. Haku walked slowly so as to not draw any attention, but I felt I couldn't hold it that long. I just wanted to run ahead. I looked to the side, and saw that Ichigo was turning purple. We just had to wait for a few seconds, and then we were done. That was when a frog jumped in front of us exclaiming, "Master Kohaku! Welcome back!" Ichigo almost gasped for air, but I covered his mouth with my hand. "Good evening." Kohaku responded with a wave. He signaled for us to crouch down and enter a small gate. When we did, we exhaled as if we were trying to blow a house away. "You both did a good job. The hard part is over for now." He said.

"That's good, because now, we finally have time to tell you _our _names." Ichigo said. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki!" I said in an un-naturally hyper way. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said, with his signature scowl on.

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**Hi Guys! I actually had time to type this up! And I'm sorry I misled you! Also, this is the longest chapter I've published to the story so far.**

**Enjoy! View, Review, Alert, Favorite! Word Count: 789**

**P.S. Hanako, I haven't figured everything out with Chihiro yet, so wait for that in the future.**


	11. Kamajii

"Ichigo and Rukia…" Kohaku said. "Ichigo means 'one who protects', right?" He guessed. "Yes! Finally! Someone finally understands!" Ichigo exclaimed. "My friends always call me 'strawberry'." Ichigo said. Kohaku nodded. "I guess it's nice to finally have someone understand you. But I wouldn't know." He said, tilting his head to the side. "When she left the spirit world, I forgot her name." He bowed his head. "I regret that the most."

"Who left the spirit world?" I asked. "Oh no, this was many years ago. And it's none of your business, anyways." He narrowed his eyes. "Now, I'm going to tell you how to get a job." He put his hands on both of our foreheads.

"When you're sure everything is calm, open the back gate. Go down the stairs, and there will be a boiler room." A mental image formed in my mind as he spoke. "There, you will find Kamajii, the old boiler man. You both tell him that you want a job. Persist, even if he says no." Ichigo and I both looked at each other. "If you find work, you can stay here." He took his hands from our foreheads. "Now I must go. And remember, don't leave until you find a job." He slid open a back door. "Master Kohaku! Yubaba was worried!" Out came a voice from the inside.

When Kohaku left, we devised a plan of action. "So, we have to go out through the back door?" Ichigo asked. "And down the stairs," I added.

So we did just that. I opened the back door and it shut it carefully behind me. "We have to walk down those stairs?" I jumped up. "They slope downwards!" "All stairs have to slope down some place, Rukia." Ichigo said. He confidently went ahead and started walking down the steps. "That's not exactly what I meant." I said, following him. Unfortunately, a step on the stairs was missing. So he tripped, sending himself tumbling down to a wall. I made a mental note to be careful when I approached the missing step.

So then Ichigo walked down the remaining stairs with me to the boiler room. When we reached the end of the stairs, we found a rusty old door surrounded by pipes. "This must be the one," I said. I opened the door and went inside. The entrance was surrounded by pipes on every wall. Then we came to a large room where a man was grinding some material, and some tiny little beings were carrying coals to the fire. "Um," I said, my eyes coming upon the strange beings. "We would like to have a job." Ichigo interrupted. The man grinding the material looked more like a spider to me.

He looked at us suspiciously through his shades. "Who are you?" He asked. "We just need a job here." I said. "There's no work here," The man said, adjusting his shades. "Because there's tons of soot around here. Enchant them with a spell, and I've got all the workers needed." The man replied. "If you haven't heard, I'm Kamajii. I run the boilers that heat the baths." "Anyways, I've never seen you two before. Are you new inhabitants?" He asked. "We're humans." Ichigo said. "You're humans?" Kamajii sputtered.

Suddenly, a noise came from behind a niche. It had two tiny doors. A side slid open. "Old man, it's time for you to leave the dishes --" A person emerged from an opening. "What are you people doing down in the boiler room?" She asked us.

*~*~*

**Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who favorited this! I really appreciate it. ='] And if you've gotten this far, I just wanted to tell you that this is only my _second _fanfiction. What a success!**

**Word Count: 671**


	12. The Elevators

"Huh? We're, uh, just looking for work…" I replied. The young woman had long brown hair drawn in a ponytail, and a modest face. She looked like a stubborn person. Judging by her stained workers clothes, she definitely was.

"Have you tried Yubaba?" Kamajii said sternly. "She rules over the entire bathhouse! Maybe she'll be able to give you two a job." He looked over at the working animals. "Gather up, all you sootballs!" The old man roared. All of the sootballs gathered around the young woman, who grabbed a basket behind her. She started throwing out the sprinkles inside to the balls of soot.

"Lin, will you take them to see Yubaba?" The boiler man said to the woman. "What? Take them to see Yubaba? I bet it won't even be worth it." She declined, dumping the last of the sprinkles on the sootballs. "They may not be very polite, but they look capable." He fought back. Ichigo reddened in the face. "Fine then. But on one condition." Lin raised her hand. Kamajii raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" He asked. "You pay me in gold." She said willfully. The man grumbled. Reaching into his pockets, he tossed her a shiny, golden stone. Sticking it into her apron, she turned to us. "Let's go." She signaled for us to come in through the small entry.

When we did, we seemed to be between the walls of the bathhouse. We got into an elevator and Lin pulled a lever on the side. "Lin, where are we going?" I asked. "You heard my name already? Darn." She pouted. "I was going to make a dramatic introduction. It's no use now." "You didn't answer my question." I interjected. The elevator stopped at a floor. "We need to find an elevator that goes higher." Lin said. We followed her around the floor and found another elevator.

We stepped in. "Where are we going?" I asked again. "We're going up, in case you haven't noticed." She replied proudly. "No, I mean why are we going up?" She looked at me meaningfully. "To get to the top floor." She answered back. "What's on the top floor?" I frowned. Lin looked at me with a horrified expression. She stood up straight and gulped. "What's on the top floor is --" She didn't have time to finish her statement before the elevator door opened. She looked around both ways. "By the screens surrounding us, I'd say we're in the private baths." Lin whispered. She waved at us to come.

The elevator was at the other side of the hall. When we walked in, I knew it would only be a short time before we got to our destination. "You don't want to say what's on the top floor, do you?" I said, watching the elevator door. "Well, no, um…" Lin thought of something to respond with. "I'm warning you two, the witch who lives up there is very powerful. She could probably kill you with one slice." Lin made a slashing motion with her hand. Ichigo smirked. "Who is this witch, exactly?" He asked her. The elevator came to an abrupt halt. It opened on a level decorated with expensive-looking vases, and a colorful tile floor.

"Your stop is here." She spoke nonchalantly, and rammed us out of the elevator. "Good luck, you knuckleheads." The door closed before we could get in another word.

*~*~*

**I've been thinking lately that I update alot. I thought of it as a good thing, but what about the people who alerted this story? They will surely suffer if they don't check their email enough. Their inbox will be filled with alerts! XD So I'll try to slow down on the updates for a little bit.**

**Word Count: 666**


	13. Yubaba

I watched the elevator close behind us. All that could be heard now was the lift slowly going down to the floor below. "Ahem." Ichigo coughed. "You haven't forgotten that anyone could catch us here at any time, right?" He suggested. "You were the one who wanted to come here in the first place." I argued. Looking back at the large, gilded doors, Ichigo puffed. "It seems like we're tempting fate." He said, facing the large doors. "We _are _tempting fate." I replied, also facing the doors. "We're shinigami. We always risk our lives. Isn't that our job?" I said to him. "Yeah, but not when we're on a break from it." He retorted.

"We were supposed to laugh at how bad of an attempt this was as a ghost attraction. Something that was fun." He said, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Now I think it all goes down hill from here." He bowed his head. I felt something build up inside me just then. It wasn't pity, it wasn't despair… it was anger. "Ichigo, do you know how much of a bratty little kid you just sounded like?" He looked to the side. "I know you're not a person to whine about something that can be helped with a little effort and dignity!" I pounded my fist into my hand. "What you're saying now is downright ridiculous!"

"If you don't get anything done, then why am I here? I should be dead! You actually worked hard to be stronger so why are you backing out now?" I yelled at him with all my breath. He looked appalled and shook his head in shame. "Sorry," He said reluctantly. I was relieved. If I hadn't shouted at him, he would be flimsy for quite some time. Ichigo started walking to the large doors, and I followed him. He knocked on the door. The doorknocker was apparently alive, and opened it's eyes. "At least you knocked," It sighed. "Come in." The doors opened, revealing a corridor.

We hesitantly strode into the room, passing many doors. Finally, we turned and saw two more large doors, which opened. I gathered all my courage, and walked into the room. In front of us, there was an old woman sitting at a desk, her hands folded. "Who are you?" She asked. She spoke in a gravelly, demanding voice. "We come from far away," Ichigo said. "and we've become trapped in this world." I said. "Trapped? You mean you're humans?" She chuckled to herself. "That explains your putrid smell."

I tried to ignore her odd comment. "Are you Miss Yubaba?" I asked. "Heh, It's been a while since someone addressed me formally without being forced to." She got a cigarette out of a pack and lit it with her finger. She put it to the side of her mouth and continued. "Yes, I am Yubaba, the one who rules the bathhouse." "We've heard many people mention the 'bathhouse', so we assumed we were somewhere near it. But where is it, really?" Ichigo spoke up. I stared at him. "This is the bathhouse you speak of, where 8 million gods come to rest and replenish themselves. It's no easy business," She puffed out smoke. "Now what do you two want? It's getting late."

"We would like a job." Ichigo and I said together.

*~*~*

**I'm just going to let your anticipation build up for now. ^^ I've been listening to piano music alot lately, so I guess that's the source of my inspiration and determination. (Heh heh, rhymes.)**

**P.S. Ari and Hanako, thanks for being my loyal and supportive readers! I have a feeling I will be typing and updating this story for a very, very long time. ^^ **

**Word Count: 669**


	14. New Identities

"You need a job? And just when I thought you were nice folk," Yubaba got up. She threw her cigarette into the fireplace, and assembled some papers from a stack with her hand. She threw us the papers, and threw Ichigo a pen. "Sign the contract," She said dully. I looked at my contract. It read: 'By signing this document, you hereby declare that you will be enslaved to the property of the Bath-House, and are submitted to any and every use. Until your time serving is done, you shall not, by any circumstance, try to leave the premises. You are subject to any punishment viewed as suitable by the…' I couldn't keep reading.

"We're going to be enslaved?" I spoke up. "Listen, you want work, or not?" Yubaba riposted. I gulped and nodded. I looked over at Ichigo's paper, and it was the same. "Should we sign it?" I whispered into his ear. "We've got nothing to lose." He whispered back. He signed his name on the paper and handed the pen to me. I'll take my chances. I thought. I signed the paper. "Ah, you're both done?" Yubaba snatched the papers out of our hands. She read over them and looked at us. "Good job," She said in a pleased tone. "Now I have your names."

On Ichigo's paper, she lifted up the first and last syllables, leaving only the middle one. Yubaba pointed to him. "Whenever you're in the bathhouse, you are to be called 'Chi'." She looked over at my paper. With her hand, she lifted up the first and last syllables of my name, again, only leaving the middle syllable. Then… she doubled the middle syllable. I winced. She pointed at me. "Whenever you're in the bathhouse, you are to be called 'Kiki'." I nodded again. "She's renaming us…" I whispered to Ichigo. "Wow, I wonder why." He whispered sarcastically.

"Your names are Kiki and Chi. Answer me!" Yubaba demanded with a powerful voice. "Uh, yes master." Ichigo replied. "Yes, master." I said. We both bowed our heads. "Apprentice! Come here!" Yubaba called out. Sure enough, a being dressed in a cloak came by our side. "They signed the contract. Get them a job." Yubaba said. The person nodded, and motioned for us to follow. It led us to the door we entered from and back to the hallway where I yelled at Ichigo. We entered the sole elevator on the level.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked the strange being. "I'll introduce myself later," The being responded in a high-pitched tone. I guess it was using a voice changer. The being looked at us both. "Might I ask who you both are?" It asked. "I'm… Chi." Ichigo responded. "I'm Kiki." I answered reluctantly. "Such nice names. However, I can tell they don't match your personalities at all." The being said warmly. "Someone who is named 'Chi' would be enthusiastic, and 'Kiki', naïve. But it seems to be the opposite with you two." It informed. "What's your name, then?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon." It said, as the elevator opened to another floor.

*~*~*

**Enjoy! Happy Holidays! Word Count: 558**


	15. Lin's Plan

Soon, we were back on the ground floor. The cloaked figure went first into the crowded workplace. When it snapped it's fingers, everyone was quiet. It was so silent that you might've thought you were on the moon. "They signed the contract." It said. "Humans?" "Not here! They'll stink up the whole place!" "Why didn't you just kill them?!" Many shouts arose from the crowd. "Do you _want _me to take this cloak off?" It threatened. Everyone in the room except for Ichigo and I shook their heads. "Good. Now who wants them?" The cloaked figure asked. "I'll take 'em!" A familiar voice shouted. A craned my head to see it was Lin.

"Am I glad to see you!" I called out to her. She gave me a thumbs up. "Ah, I should've known. Go with her." The mysterious person instructed. I already knew what to do. Ichigo and I walked to her, but could hardly contain our excitement. First chance she got, she hit Ichigo in the head. Then she shook my hand. "Thanks for being fools! I was almost certain you wouldn't live to see the light." She congratulated us. "Fools? Why are we fools?" Ichigo asked. "You signed the contract! I would've never guessed…" She talked on and on. Ichigo, or 'Chi', shot me a glance. To Lin, I moved my index finger across my throat, signaling her to stop talking. She frowned.

"Now come on, I need to show you to your rooms." Lin walked towards a door at the end of the hallway. Chi and I had to separate so the servant men could show him his room. I was beginning to like the name 'Chi', because it was shorter and easier to say than 'Ichigo'. You could even say it many times without getting tired. That could come in handy whenever I wanted to annoy a certain strawberry. "By the way, I didn't quite catch your name." Lin said to me. "It's Ki--" Lin put her finger over my mouth. "Tell me tonight." She said.

"What's going on tonight?" I asked. "Well, it's an old tradition the other female workers and I established. Whenever a new worker comes, we have a secret meeting the night of their arrival. In the really late hours, we just stay up and talk." She answered. "In other words… a sleepover?" I said uneasily.

"Yep." She opened the door to our room. Sleeping mats were scattered all over the place. "Now to get your uniform!" She cheerfully exclaimed. I stared at her. "Have you no shame?" I muttered as I followed her.

*~*~*

**Eek! I'm sorry this chapter is so short! And I'm certain there is going to be no chapter tomorrow, because I'm going somewhere _far far away. _Well anyways, enjoy! Thanks for reading, everyone!**

**Word Count: 504**


	16. DrinkDrinkDrink!

I was waiting for it to become midnight. I was sitting out on a balcony, looking at the crescent moon. My new uniform fit perfectly, but it was cold outside and it didn't cover much skin. I would just had to deal with it until Lin came back. She needed to tell all of her fellow roommates that 'the new girl' was staying in their room, so she left. Out of boredom, I had the idea to go out on the high balcony and accidentally lock myself out of the room. I could tell it was getting late, and my eyelids were drooping. Then I remembered that I had to stay awake just long enough for the 'secret assembly'. How annoying.

I bowed my head to see the train passing below me. I watched it chug into the seemingly endless ocean. That's right, it was an ocean now, not a river. What was puzzling to me was why there were train tracks built in the ocean.

_Well boats can only go so far, _I thought. _So there must be a train station somewhere, out in the middle of the sea. _I smiled to myself. _Yeah, that's it. _

I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a beautiful dragon, with a turquoise mane and scales that glittered in the moonlight. Either I was going insane, or this was going to be an interesting night. I looked on as it flew into the distance. "Then again, anyone could go insane if they were trapped here." I said to myself.

Suddenly, I heard a loud banging at the door. I jumped and hit my head on it. "Could you let me in? I'm locked out," I said. The door slid open and someone pulled me inside. "We were worried about you! You wouldn't be dumb enough to lock yourself out by mistake, would you?" Lin said. "I just needed to be alone for a few minutes… that's all." I lied. "I see, this is all still new to you. You'll get used to it." Another girl said. "Nothing a little effort and determination can't fix!" Lin declared, thrusting her hand into the air. All the other women around her cheered. I could tell it was going to be a long night.

After a long time of waiting and whispering, all the lights in the outside hallway turned off, and everyone was ushered into their rooms. Someone lit a lantern and another person passed around cups of sake. Someone offered me a cup. "You want one?" Lin asked. "Um, Sake? Never tried it before…" I replied. "Oh, so you're underage?" The room grew quiet. "No, it's just that I don't drink." I said defensively. "Don't be a party pooper. Have some!" Lin said, passing me a drink. "But you're going to have a killer hangover in the morning!" A girl next to Lin said. Soft giggles filled the room.

"Fine then." I said, downing the sake with one gulp. Gasps of admiration filled the air. "Wow! You're a natural drinker! My name is Keiko." The girl sitting next to Lin said. She held out her hand for me to shake. I eagerly took it. She looked almost exactly like Lin, except she was shorter. "My name is Kiki." I grinned. Everyone else shook my hand and introduced themselves. "Now why don't we have a drinking competition?" A girl named Michi proposed. "Yes, but between who?" Lin said. "Kiki and Suika!" Michi said. "Suika left the bathhouse a few days ago, remember? She said she had to go to a place called 'Gensokyo' or something." Keiko said.

"That's really too bad. She was a fast drinker," Another person said. Everyone shook their head in grief. "Well, I'm not drinking more than that. Tomorrow's my first day of work, and I don't want to have a 'killer' hangover. I'm going to sleep." I said, diving under the covers of my sleeping bag. Everyone moaned. "Okay, okay. We'll move this little party to some other date. Then can you drink with us?" Keiko pleaded. "I'll do my best." I said, closing my eyes.

*~*~*

**This is to make up for the short chapter two days ago. Hope you enjoyed it! Word Count: 801**

**P.S. Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou Project. **

**And just to get this straight, I just mentioned Suika for some humor! Touhou characters aren't going to be incorporated into the actual story. XD **


	17. Beware

I woke up and yawned. There was barely any light in the room, which meant I had woken up before dawn. All the other girls, including Keiko, Lin, and Michi, were asleep in their sleeping bags. Cups were scattered everywhere, and the strong smell of sake made me cringe. I covered my nose with my hand and tried to breathe through my mouth. Somehow, I could still smell and began to cough furiously. After that was done, I got out of my bag and looked around. "Might as well clean up." I muttered. It was my party, after all. I tip-toed around all the sleeping women.

Picking up cup by cup, I stacked them into a pile. It looked like it was about to tip over, but it was balanced. I set the stack on a table. I looked back at my sleeping bag. My uniform was still next to it, folded up neatly. _Wow, _I thought. _I'm such a worrywart. _The sun was rising, and only then did I see what was hiding in the corner of the room. It was Kohaku, ready in his worker's clothes. He had a serious look on his face. Like always. "Why do you want to speak with me, Kohaku? Is it about Yubaba?" I asked. "You serve under the bathhouse now, so call me Master Kohaku." He stood up straight.

I cleared my throat. "Master Kohaku, why have you come here?" I asked persistently. "I have come here on a matter of great urgency," He said. "And I need your help." Just then, Chi burst in through the door. "Yo Master, what did you need me for?" He asked. Master Kohaku frowned. "Dawn is approaching. We must speak in secret. Come," He said, walking out the door. I looked at Chi for a moment. "I got to say, you look good in your new clothes." Chi said, snickering. "You too." I added. Then we set off after Kohaku. Many twists and turns followed until we were outside of the bathhouse, on the bridge.

"We can talk here." Master Kohaku said. "What's this about?" Chi asked. Kohaku looked around for any people and whispered back, "The cloaked one is dangerous. Don't trust her. She watches over all," He narrowed his eyes. "Avoid her at all costs." Chi was skeptical. "So it really was a girl, amazing." I said. "What is she planning to do?" Chi asked. "I'll explain later. Someone is coming." He stood up straight again, facing the direction of the bathhouse. Chi and I also stood up straight to see that a few gods were exiting the building. We greeted them and watched them go.

"I'll be leaving now." Kohaku said, walking away. I looked at Ichigo. "I'm going to be working in the baths." I said. "At least you get something above ground. I'm going to be working in the mines under the boilers." He stated glumly. "I'll see you later then," I said, sticking my tongue out at him. He scowled, as usual. I walked into the bathhouse.

*~*~*

**Sorry for the late update! Just really busy with school and stuff. ^^' Thanks to Hanako and Ari for reviewing! **

**Word Count: 564**


	18. WorkWorkWork!

I felt guilty leaving Ichigo out on the bridge. But what are friends for? Leaving each other on bridges. When I returned to my room, all the other girls were awake. "Where were you, Kiki?" Michi asked. "Don't run off! I'm in charge of you, you know." Lin said bitterly. "I know, I know, sorry I made you worry." I said casually as I went to put my working clothes on. "What were you doing outside, anyways? _Talking to Haku?_" She asked suspiciously. Everyone looked at me. "I was using the bathroom." I said. Everyone looked at me and then started cracking up. After a few seconds, I started laughing uncontrollably.

After we all calmed down, we started putting our uniforms on. When every person was done, we all filed out of the room. "Let's all wish Kiki good luck on her first day!" Lin shouted enthusiastically. I received many hugs and was pushed to the front of the line. Lin was in the front, next to me. She bent down next to me. "I'm going to lead you to the baths," She whispered in my ear. "Okay then." I replied. Lin walked through the long hallway and to where all the elevators where. Everyone separated and went their ways. "You're coming with me," Lin said, as she waited for me to get in the lift.

"We're going to the main baths. The foreman is watching you closely, so don't screw this up, Sen." Lin said. "Sen? My name is Kiki." I said. "Uh, sorry. Just a slip of the tongue." She sighed as the elevator rose up. The elevator opened to our floor. We left the lift and checked in with the foreman. He greeted Lin. When he looked at me, he said, "Hm. I wish you luck," The frog chuckled. "You get the big tub." All the workers nearby stopped to point or laugh at us. "This isn't fair! What did I do to deserve this?" Lin pounded her fist on the foreman's podium.

"_I just needed to be alone for a few minutes… that's all." I lied. "I see, this is all still new to you. You'll get used to it." Another girl said. "Nothing a little effort and determination can't fix!" Lin declared. _"Lin, you said with 'a little effort and determination', I could get the job done! Don't go back on your words!" I scolded her. She looked back at me. The foreman raised his eyebrows and said, "You better get working. The big tub is filthier than ever!" Lin huffed in defeat and marched off. I decided to follow her.

We arrived at our tub. "Ugh! Look at all of this… jerks…" Lin complained. I looked around and there was seaweed everywhere, and very smelly seaweed at that. "Sen, get the broom…" Lin mumbled. "It's Kiki, not Sen." I said, getting a broom from a corner of the room. "Oops! Sorry." She smacked herself in the head. "You act really childish for someone who's supposed to be the oldest worker in the bathhouse." I said. "Hey! Life's too short to be taken seriously." She said back. How could she say that when she is a spirit? What a goof.

*~*~*

**Hope this chap is good enough for you! Word Count: 606**

**P.S. And in response to your review, Hanako: Haku found out his real name, but he forgot who told him.**


	19. Slimy

Lin and I climbed inside the bathtub. In there, grime was everywhere to be found… it was unbelievably dirty. "It's going to take so long if we scrub this off." Lin said, turning to me. "Stay here! I'll be right back." Lin pointed her finger at me. She climbed out of the bathtub, careful not to get her uniform dirty, and walked away. "Where's she going?" I asked myself. I tried to lift myself up using the edge of the tub, but I slipped and fell. "Uh. Lin's not going to be happy when she gets back." I got up and tried to balance myself on the slippery surface.

There was slime on the front of my uniform. "Gross!" I screeched. I couldn't help it. I tried to shake some of the slime off my hands, but it stuck like glue. "I can't wipe it off on the walls of the tub…" I muttered. I tried to walk, but slipped again and was drenched in more slime than before. "It's in my shirt!" Before I knew it, I was rolling around in the sludge, trying to get up. "Help!" I cried out. "Hey, Kiki! Where are you?" I heard Lin's voice. "I'm in here!" I shouted. "I don't see you anywhere…" Then I saw Lin's eyes peeking out from the edge of the tub. She was looking back at me.

"Now _that _is what I call being in a sticky situation. Hold on." Her hand reached out for mine, and then she was pulling me to the outside of the tub.

Eventually, I tumbled down to the hard wooden floor. The glorious wooden floor. "Were you trying to use yourself to clean up the sludge?" Lin joked. "I wasn't rolling around on purpose!" I rejected. "Well, you can rinse yourself off when the tub is filled with water." She said, holding up a token with a yellow circle on it. "What's that?" I asked. Lin explained to me how the tokens worked, and showed me the compartment you had to put them in.

"So then it goes to Kamajii, who sends water back in return." Lin explained, clipping the token to a rope and sending it up. Another compartment in the wall dropped down and started pouring water into the tub. I noticed that had a rope attached to it, too. "You pull that rope to stop the water from flowing." Lin said. I nodded. "Now, you think I can trust you to watch the tub while I get breakfast?" Lin asked. "Breakfast for both of us?" I asked. "You kidding? Of course!" Lin patted me on the head. "Then yes." I saluted her. She saluted back and left the room again.

_I have a feeling this is going to lead to disaster. _I thought as I heard the water filling up the tub behind me. I turned around to see the steam rising from the tub. _How hot is it? I really want to know._ I thought. Then I saw the water flowing over the edges. "Wait…what?" The water began overflowing and filling up the corners of the room. My foot touched the water. "Agh! That's boiling!" I jumped up and held my foot. Then I remembered I was still covered in sludge. I looked to the center of the room, which was quickly being covered with thick steam. Could I make it to the tub and pull the rope? It was worth a try.

*~*~*

**I updated late... again. v_v And we're almost to the big Chapter 20! Yay! Thanks for reading this far and reading the bonus at the bottom.**

**Happy Holidays! Word Count: 649**


	20. Help?

The sludge covering my body was so sticky that it stuck to the floor even when the water was rushing at me. It didn't help that the water was also incredibly hot. The sludge kept me cool, either way. So I trudged through the rushing water to get to the center of the room. By now, some of the water was flowing into the hallway. I was only a few feet away from the tub when I heard someone walking to the doorway. "Hey you! In charge of this tub?" I heard the person say. I didn't have enough time to look back, so I didn't. "Hey! Look at me." The person said. "I can't, not right now at least." I said, taking another step forward.

"I can see that. I'm not helping you out, though. Fix your own mess yourself." The person said spitefully. "Why are you even here?" I asked, trying to my left leg. "I need someone to annoy," The person replied. "Well, you're doing a good job." I said. I was almost at the tub. "No one's ever said that to me before! Thanks!" The person said. I could tell they were a child or a really short person. "Wish me good luck, then." I stepped forward and vanished behind a cloud of steam. "Uh…fine then! I'll help you!" The child said. I felt a gust of wind fill the room and saw it blow away all the steam.

I could see ahead of myself. I could feel the water becoming colder under my feet. Soon, I was climbing on the still overflowing tub. "Thanks so much!" I said, turning around. No one was in the doorway. I looked to the side. No one was in the corners of the room. Had the person left already? "Thank you!" I cried out at the top of my lungs. I turned back in the direction of the rope. "This is going to be easy, thanks to them." The strong sludge holding my feet in place, I walked to the rope and pulled it down hard. The water stopped flowing, and I could see the bottom of the tub. It wasn't dirty anymore, but it would've been nice if I'd kept some sludge. Then I could probably use it to prank someone.

Now that the tub was clean, I had to rinse myself. So I dove in. The water was very warm, so I wanted to swim in it like a fish. The sludge washed off, but it left a strange smell on me. It smelled like seaweed. Very salty seaweed. Some workers began to investigate when they saw the water overflowing in the hallway. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to wipe away the evidence. Ooooohhh no. "Everyone! Who spilled their water out?" The foreman asked. By the time people were shouting and asking questions, I had already wiped the floor of the room dry. So luckily, everyone suspected the room across from mine.

"Close call," I said, sighing. Lin came into the room with our breakfast. "Guess what! Michi got in trouble for letting her tub leak out! Guess she really did have too much to drink last night." Lin gossiped, setting our bowls of rice on the floor. "Lin, do you know a short worker who likes to annoy people?" I asked her. "A short worker? You mean a childish voice, attitude, unruly, and talkative?" Lin said. "Exactly." "Nope, never seen such a worker." She sat down on the floor and started eating. "Strange…and Lin, the tub is all clean." I said, sitting down next to her. "Good," She said, stuffing her face. "More time to eat."

*~*~*

**We have two things to celebrate today: The 20th chapter and 100 visitors! Yay! (Plus: Thanks for reviewing Annoymous, I'm glad you like the story!)**

**P.S. I'm co-starring in a new chapter of _Sanity _by HanakoAnimeaddict. Be warned: This story is rated T! And it's about YuYuHakusho. Watch out for Chapter 2!**

**Word Count: 701**


	21. Meeting

"I think we have some free time before our next assignment." Lin said, wiping some rice off the side of her mouth. "Looks like we have to separate after we finish eating. Do you think you can handle that?" Lin asked. "Sure, Kohaku is guiding me around the bathhouse for the time being." I answered, gulping down the last of my rice. "You're lucky. When I was put to work, I was a loner. I had to figure everything out myself. It was hard work, but…" Lin went on and on, as usual. It was good to know that I had a friend in the bathhouse. I had made many friends over night, but Lin was special. No matter how sad someone could be, if they were near Lin, they would brighten up.

That's something I liked about Lin. She always seemed to be in a little world of her own. I bet she'd just call it 'Lin's World', that's self-explanatory. Imagine if she called it 'Super Mario World', but then again, she doesn't even know what a video game system is. "I'm leaving. See you, Lin." I said, getting up from my seat. "But I was just about to tell you…" Lin reached out for me. "I don't have the time now. Just write a memoir, I'd buy it." I replied, heading for the hallway. "A memoir?! You know how long that takes to write?!" Lin called out. I didn't listen, because I wasn't going to the foreman to get another assignment.

I went out the back door and onto the same steps I did last night; the missing step was finally replaced. I went past the boiler room and further down the steps. The very last door led to the mines. It was a metal door, and a sign on it read 'DANGEROUS - MINE FIRE'. I felt the doorknob with my hand. It wasn't too hot, so I turned the knob. A cloud of smoke greeted me and my eyes burned. _They're forcing Chi to work here? _I thought. _It must be torture._ I blinked a lot, and the smoke cleared. Then I saw a person with a mask and shovel. The person looked at me, and took their mask off. It was Chi.

I looked around and saw that he was the only one in the mine. "Ichigo! It's you!" I hugged him. "Get off! I've got ashes on me. And I'm sweating. Anyone would know that." He sneezed. I walked away and looked at him. His face was covered with ash and dirt, and his hair was stained black. "Why aren't you wearing a mask? More importantly, why are you here anyways?" He asked. "I would like to know why you're the only person in the mine. You're being overworked!" I said, taking the shovel from him. "I'm the only one assigned here today, so I have to work hard until curfew." Ichigo said, wiping his head.

"Now, to the point. What have you discovered so far?" I asked. "I've asked around, and many of my roommates say that the cloaked one's name is 'Tama.'" Ichigo said. "Tama means…'perfect', right?" I suggested. "From what I've heard, I'd say her name matches her personality. The other male workers say she's really pretty, and they would do anything for her. She's nice, too." "She sounds like a Mary Sue. But why does she wear the cloak when she's so eye-catching?" I wondered. "They said they felt uncomfortable talking about it. That it was 'traumatizing'." Ichigo answered. Then we both heard a knock on the door. "Open up!" A familiar voice shouted.

*~*~*

**My winter vacation starts today! Yay! Word Count: 680**

**P.S. Thanks so much Narlth! It's nice to know people like you read my stories. ^^**


	22. Trouble

We both heard a knock at the door. "Open up!" A familiar voice shouted. "Who's there?" Ichigo called out. "Just open it up! It's important!" The voice shouted back. It was the same, childish voice. Was it Tama? Or was it someone else? Maybe Lin disguising her voice, or Haku…it didn't sound like either. "Fine, but watch out for the fumes." Ichigo opened the door. We finally saw who was on the other side. It was the same girl we had found on the side of the road. She looked exactly the same, except she was awake.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "To do my work. Step aside," She said.

"But who are you? And why are you here? We can't just let you in!" Ichigo protested. The girl stepped between us and looked at the coal fire. "It would help if you two stepped back," She said, reaching out for the fire. "Wait! You're going to get burned! You little --" I shouted. The girl pulled her arm back and held the all the flames in the palm of her hand. It wasn't burning her, or spreading across her body…she was literally holding them in the palm of her hand. She looked at us and said, "Don't get near me."

"Do you…know magic?" I asked. "Sure! I have way too much time on my hands doing nothing. I think I've learned up to Yubaba's extent by now." The girl said. "But who are you?" Ichigo asked. "Okay, okay, let me explain: I was a regular human, just like you. I was really young, and caused trouble _all the time_. My parents really wanted to let me have it, so I ran away from home. Then I discovered this place, and also made a deal with Yubaba. Eventually, I caused so much disorder that I was banished from the bathhouse and Yubaba turned me completely white so that everyone would run away from me."

"So then, why are you back at the bathhouse? Are you a worker? A guest?" Ichigo asked. "Neither. I've come to return Yubaba's favor; doing something equally as devastating to her." With that, the girl blew out the flames. It was completely dark in the room. We heard the door open, and she escaped. "Did she just blow out the coal fire?" I asked Chi, as some light poured into the room. "Yeah, I think she did." He said. What just happened came into realization. "She blew out the coal fire…" I said. "that heats the baths." Ichigo completed my sentence.

"The baths!" We screamed together. "Without this coal, the baths can't be heated!" I shouted. "And Yubaba isn't going to be happy with us." Ichigo added. I gulped. "The hot bath water is probably going to run out in a few minutes! We have to hurry!" I yelled to Ichigo as I rushed out the room. I heard his footsteps following closely behind mine.

*~*~*

**I update late again. As usual. -_-' Sorry about that. Thanks to every who reviewed, alerted, favorited, and most important of all, viewed.**

**Word Count: 557**


	23. Spy

We both ran up the stairs. I was looking over my shoulder at the smokestack behind me. Only a few puffs came out, and they were blown out by the wind. I groaned. More to add to our punishment. We quickly reached the top of the stairs and I threw open the back door. I rushed in through the pig pens, the kitchen, and even a guest's room. Ichigo had caught up to me and we were sprinting side by side. "Where's the elevator?" Ichigo said, panting. We both looked around. "Over there!" Ichigo pointed at a door surrounded by workers and guests. "You really think we'll make it? Isn't there another lift on this level?" I asked him.

"There is, but it doesn't go up farther. This is only way," Ichigo caught his breath. I nodded, and looked at the elevator. "Wait for it…" I whispered. There was a loud _ding! _On cue, we flash-stepped into the doors past all of the people. I noticed a 'Close Doors' button, and I pressed it. "Hey Kiki! I've been looking for you!" Lin pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "What are you doing?!" She hollered at me. "I'm sorry, but this is important. See you later," I bowed my head to her as the doors closed. Ichigo exhaled as the lift rose higher. "Where's Haku when you need him?" Ichigo coughed out.

"Forget that, where's Yubaba when you need her?" I slouched against the wall of the elevator. "If she hadn't made that little kid so mad, we probably wouldn't be in this mess right now." I said. "If I wasn't assigned to coal duty, we wouldn't even have to deal with this problem. We wouldn't even know about it until Yubaba told everyone." Ichigo said. "Sounds good. Remind me when Yubaba turns us into pigs." I replied as the elevator opened to another floor. There were screens everywhere. "The private baths. Nice." Ichigo murmured to me. I looked at the elevator across from us. I walked slowly but confidently towards the next elevator, Ichigo following.

We were in the last elevator until Yubaba's floor. Ichigo pulled the lever down quickly, and the lift rose up again. "I wish there was some elevator music." Ichigo said sourly. "Yeah. Would be nice." I said. The elevator was silent for a few moments. "Gah! Hitching a ride on this thing is boring. Let me in." We heard someone on the roof of the elevator. I looked up, and saw the escape panel slide open. A person fell down from the opening. "Kiki! It's me!" The person got up and looked at me. It was Keiko. "Keiko! Why are you spying on us? We have to do something important." I scolded her. "That explains why you're going to the top floor." Keiko exclaimed cheerfully. Then she looked at Chi. "Who's this? You never told me you had a boyfriend."

Chi and I reddened in the face. "He's not my boyfriend! He's just a friend! Why do you always go to conclusions?!" I rolled up my sleeve and showed her my fist. "Hey! Hey! No offense! Take it as a compliment!" She held up her hands to shield herself. "Seriously! I think you two would make a great couple!" "That's it! Enough!" Ichigo grabbed her shirt and threw her back up the opening she came from. "Do what you're supposed to! Spying on other people!" Ichigo yelled at her, closing the escape hatch. He crossed his arms. I stared at him until the elevator doors opened.

_Ding!_

*~*~*

**I know, I know, weird chapter. But this story is IchiRuki, and we need more humor! Even if it must be awkward. This is why I'm glad I put minor characters in. And I still can't decide if I should change the rating to T. Review?**

**Word Count: 680**


	24. Jump

The elevator door opened. I was embarrassed at what just happened, but we still had to do our jobs. The fate of the bathhouse…and our own fates rested in the palm of our hands. Ichigo rushed out of the elevator, and I followed. It seemed like he was mad at me, for some reason. I looked at the large, gilded doors. I looked at the doorknocker. Then Ichigo knocked on the door. "Yubaba! It's an emergency!" He called out. The doorknocker rolled it's eyes. "Must be a pathetic excuse for 'an emergency'. Let's see what you've got, then." The door opened and we were pulled inside.

We were pulled all the way to Yubaba's office, in front of her desk. She wasn't very pleased with us. "What is it? I'm busy and on a tight schedule. So hurry up and say it!" She said frantically, signing a pile of papers on her desk. "A girl extinguished the coal fire!" I shouted. Yubaba looked up from her papers. "A girl?" "Pale skin, white hair, short, and a pain in the neck?" I said quickly. "She extinguished the fire? So she did!" Yubaba turned on the loudspeaker, which I hadn't noticed until now. "All workers and staff! Report to the smokestack!" Yubaba growled.

She turned to us. "Knowing her, she must've put a spell on the coal that will prevent it from being ignited. We need a powerful force to break that spell." She got up from her seat. "Come with me if you are strong," She said, leaving the room. We both went after her. She went to her sunroom, unlocking a window. The sunroom, fortunately for us, was just above the smokestack. But that was a strange place to put a sunroom. Ah, Yubaba's strange ways. "We won't get down there fast enough using the elevators. We have to jump." Yubaba said, opening the window.

"Jump out the window onto a smokestack? That's insane!" Ichigo said. "Trust me, I've done this once before. Now jump!" She said, climbing out the window. "You do realize that everything is insane in this world?" I said to Ichigo. "That's a good point. I'm jumping, then. See you." Then he leaped out the window and hit his head on the glass. _Looks like fun, _I thought, and jumped out the window, too. I was falling fast, just like the time I fell off the invisible moving force. Suddenly, Yubaba turned into a falcon and scooped us up in her wings.

She swooped down and dropped us in front of the coal mine, where many people were already gathered. "Yubaba, why are we gathered here? Drastic change of job assignments?" The foreman asked. "Look up. Do you see any smoke coming out of that chimney?" Yubaba questioned. All of the other workers looked up. "I-I-I don't! Why isn't there any smoke coming out?" Another foreman asked. "It was the troublemaker. Extinguished the coal fires." Yubaba said gravely. "Again?" Someone shouted. I opened the door to the coal mine. "Anyone have any suggestions?" Yubaba asked.

*~*~*

**Okay! Some really interesting things are going on…**

**Thanks to Hanako, Narlth, and everyone else who reviewed, we now have 20 reviews! Yay!**

**This story is one of the longest ongoing crossovers in the Spirited Away section!**

**And I've made my decision. I'm changing the rating to T starting the next chapter! Just to be safe. ^^**

**Thanks everyone!**** Word Count: 624**


	25. Ice

A worker in the crowd raised their hand. "I have a few sharp rocks!" Another worker raised their hand. "I actually have a box of matches!" A few grunts and shouts could be heard in the crowd. "Hey! I have a lit match! And it's right here!" A short worker came up to the front, holding a lit match. Everyone stared him down until he blew it out. "Is anyone going to make a suggestion that isn't stupid?" Ichigo asked. No one put their hand down. I sighed. "Yubaba, why don't you use your magic and get this over with?" I suggested. "Oh, fine. For the sake of my money," Yubaba went into the coal mine.

Chi and I were still next to Yubaba, and saw her cast all sorts of spells on the coal in the furnace. Workers were filling up every corner of the room, trying to get a glimpse of the witch's struggle. One spell she cast made the coal sparkle, but there was no flame. Another made it glow, still no flame. One spell made it turn different colors, and one just made it sizzle and turn into soot. The old sorceress cursed under her breath and tried again. No flame. "Excuse us," Haku said, coming out of the crowd. Tama, in her cloak, walked beside him. "It's about time you came!" Yubaba boomed.

"Tama insisted we try to apprehend the suspect." Haku said, looking at her. "I wanted your permission to take my cloak off, but you weren't in your office. Everyone told me you were here." Tama said in a low-pitched tone. "Catching the little girl isn't my main priority. You should've been here, ready to help me." Yubaba ordered. "Sorry, master." They said in unison, and bowed their heads. "Now is not the time for apologies! Help me get this fire going!" She scolded. Haku and Tama stood before the furnace. Haku grabbed one of the pieces of coal and held it in his hand.

He squeezed it. Tama also held a piece of coal and examined it. "It's as if you're trying to burn ice. You can only melt it." She said, as water melted off the coal. Some workers gasped. "She put an invisible layer of ice around each piece of coal. This isn't regular ice either; we must melt it using large amounts of heat all at once." Tama explained. "And where will we get that?" Haku asked. "We can concentrate energy into our palms and melt the coal one by one, but that will take hours and more if not done continuously." Tama yawned. "And I'm really tired."

Chi tapped my shoulder. "Don't you know kido?" He mentioned. "I do know kido…thanks for reminding me." I said. I raised my hand. "Yubaba! I think I can help!" I shouted. She looked at me. "How could you possibly help?" She asked grumpily. "I know a different type of magic, and it might melt the ice." I answered. "A different type? There's no such thing as a different type!" The old witch cackled. "Go ahead, show me this magic." She mocked. "Everyone except Chi, stand back." I said, putting a hand in front of myself. Yubaba looked at me suspiciously and then stepped back.

I aimed at the stack of coal. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Hado Number 33! Blue Fire, Crash Down!" A huge surge of energy shot out from the palm of my hand onto the coal. The pile of coal made a cracking noise. "Hado Number 31! Shot of Red Fire!" A surge of energy shot out from my palm again, except it was hot. A small puddle of water was forming under the pile of coal. I was getting somewhere.

*~*~*

**I know this must've been predictable, but it's necessary. I just want to say a few things:**

**1. I got the kido chant from Bleach wiki, thanks guys!**

**2. I'm just going to let Rukia say the kido names in English. What difference does it make anyways?**

**Rukia: A big difference! Japanese seiyu sound better than American voice actors!**

**Ichigo: Hold on, some readers might not share the opinion. **

**Keiko: I still think I'm right about you two!**

**Me: No one takes comic relief seriously.**

**Keiko: Darn it.**

**Me: Please review! Word Count: 818**


	26. Power

"I've been doing this for a couple of minutes, and it still isn't working." I wiped my head. "Kohaku, Tama, any suggestions?" I asked them. They shook their heads. "Looks like we're going to have to use our last resort, because we need to speed things up." Ichigo suggested. "What _is _our last resort?" I whispered hoarsely. "We can use the Power of the Author!" Ichigo grinned. "What?! That's forbidden! Even just breaking the fourth wall is forbidden!" I frowned. "With the legendary Power of the Author, we can melt the coal and set it on fire again! And no one will notice because their memory will be replaced." I looked into Chi's eyes.

"You're not Chi. Who are you?" I asked. The Chi I saw before me turned into a pile of soot. "Chi!" I screamed. I knelt down next to the pile of soot. Tama and Kohaku left the room. "Hey! You both! Get back here!" I scrambled to my feet. Yubaba held me where I was. "Kiki, it can't be helped. We'll just have to find him later." She said softly. "He could be dead, for all I know! Let me go!" I snapped back. All the workers in the room looked down on me. I didn't even care. I needed to find the true Ichigo, the one everyone knows and loves. The real Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Tama! This is all your fault!" I shouted. "And I'm going to use the Power of the Author against you!" Rage filled my body. My eyes were watering. And I couldn't help but to feel better than all the rest. Tama turned around. "The Power of the Author… an exclusive power that only the main characters can use. You're resorting to that so early in the story? How pitiful." Tama said, her voice turning high-pitched. "Correction. It's not us who do the work, it's the author herself." I smirked, releasing myself from Yubaba's grasp. "The downside is, you can only use it once in the whole story. Don't you want to save it up?" Kohaku asked.

"I'm not taking any chances," I said, raising my hand. "Author, bestow onto me this power with which I can annihilate a universe. Help me to erase everyone's memories and pretend this was just a dream!" As I said this, a white light blinded everyone else in the room. It covered and destroyed everything. Then, a dark black covered up all of the white. I faded into the black. I saw the author smiling, and looking at the computer screen. She was very pleased with what I did to help a friend. She pressed the save button, and then she faded away into the black. All was quiet. Then, I woke up.

I woke up in the bathhouse room with all the other girls. I was redoing my first day in the bathhouse. The bathtub overflowing, me visiting Chi, the little girl who was a pain in the neck, even Keiko spying on us in the elevator. None of that ever happened. And I'm glad it didn't. This would be a lot to explain to Ichigo. _Wait. Ichigo. _I got out of my sleeping bag and put my uniform on. Luckily, everyone else was still asleep. I crept out of the room. Just about now, Ichigo was going to come out of the other room. We were both going to meet Master Kohaku.

Then, he came out of the room. Just as planned. "Hey, shouldn't you brush your hair before coming out?" Chi narrowed his eyes. "Eh heh heh. Sorry." I felt the top of my head. My hair was tangled. "Anyways Strawberry, are you feeling alright?" I asked. "Stop calling me that! And of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?" He scowled. "Just asking." I beamed at him. "I'm really glad you're feeling okay." Then Master Kohaku approached us. "I need to talk to you both. This is urgent." Kohaku said. "Master Kohaku, couldn't you tell us at a better time? And not first thing in the morning?" Ichigo complained. Kohaku considered this. "I'll get back to you then." Kohaku frowned. "And master?" I called out.

"Could you tell the foreman to put Ichigo on bath duty today?" I asked. Kohaku turned his back to us. "I'll see what I can do," He walked away.

*~*~*

**Yay! Long chapter! probably to make up for the fact that there will be no update on the 25th. Sorry! Visiting relatives. **

**And if you're wondering. The Power of the Author is literally the power of the author. ^^**

**Word Count: 819**


	27. Insanity

I turned to Ichigo. "Chi, what do you think about the cloaked person we saw last night…very mysterious." I asked him. "Well, she was really nice to us…" Chi bit his lip. I looked at him curiously. "She? How could the person be a she?" I asked. "I smelled perfume and lip balm." Ichigo answered. "As if she wasn't trying to make it obvious." I reddened in the cheeks. "It's good to know you have a keen sense of smell, Chi." We heard the foreman shouting orders. He came to us. "Your names are Chi and Kiki?" He asked us, looking up from his clipboard. We nodded.

"Then you both are dismissed from regular duties, and will be decorating the bathhouse instead." He said. "Decorating? For what?" Chi asked. "It's Christmas Eve in the human world," He replied. "Christmas Eve? We've only been here for two days!" I retorted. "But time moves very slowly here, _get used to it humans_. Report to me when you start," He walked back down the corridor, waving his finger at us. Chi and I shivered. "That guy makes me feel uncomfortable." Chi squirmed. "I second that," I said in a quivering voice. "Well, see you soon." Chi rushed into his room and shut the door.

I went into my room and shut the door. Lin was waking up as I entered. "Lin! Lin! Keiko! Michi! Everyone wake up!" I shouted. Everyone moaned in their sleeping bags. "What is it, Kiki? I'm trying to sleep," Michi groaned. "IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!" I hollered at the top of my lungs. Some girls nearly jumped out of their sleeping bags. "And guess what? I'm in charge of the decorations." I said, panting loudly. A lot of my roommates came up to me and started asking me about mistletoe. "Hey everyone! Give her some space!" Lin shouted. She went to the front of the small crowd.

"So you're in charge of the decorations alone?" Asked Lin. "Actually, Chi and I are in charge of the decorations." I corrected. "Who is he, your boyfriend?" Keiko asked suggestively. Everyone looked at me. "No, he's just assigned to the same job as I am. A coincidence." I answered. "Well, you two hang around a lot. So I was really worried." Keiko was becoming hyper. "Anyways, why are you all asking about the mistletoe?" I asked. "We all want to meet someone special under the mistletoe this year. It's our goal every year, but we've never achieved it." Michi sighed.

"So we were wondering if you could help us," A girl named 'Ai' said. "By setting up the mistletoe in busy places." "Has one of you ever been in charge of the decorations?" I asked. "Unfortunately, the foreman was onto us from the start, and he forbid us from ever getting that position. He picked you because you're new," Michi said. "So you want me to help you all?" I asked. Everyone nodded, including Lin. "You all are crazy! You really expect me to help you find a guy?" Everyone nodded again. "Will you help us?" Lin asked. "I still say you all are insane." I protested. "Izzat a yes?" Keiko asked. "Sure, why not." I hesitantly agreed.

*~*~*

**Part 1 of the Christmas Special! It's Christmas Eve 2009! Happy Holidays!**

**Word Count: 582**


	28. Mistletoe

I was dressed in my uniform, and Chi in his. We had nicknamed the foreman 'The Creepy Guy' so as to not get confused with the other people. We had also decided on nicknaming Master Kohaku 'Lil' K'haku' because Chi said it sounded cool. Now was no time for fun and games, however. We had to report to the foreman to get our Christmas decorations. And secretly, I had to help my roommates with their lovemaking. Chi and I walked to the Creepy Guy, and he gave each of us a cardboard box wrapped in a ribbon. "And don't open them until Christmas!" He called out cheerfully. I shook my box. I heard something hard moving inside. Ichigo shook his, and got the same result. "You want to open it?" I asked. "Why wouldn't I?" Ichigo tore off the ribbon.

I tore the ribbon, and opened the box. "Well, I got a piece of coal. What did you get, Chi?" I was really disappointed. A piece of coal? Was I really naughty this year? I guess I was, then. Ichigo opened his gift. He shut it and then looked at me. "I got a rock," He said. There was silence. "Let's throw these away, Charlie Brown." I said, throwing my box to the side. Chi also threw his away. We got our first box of decorations and started decorating on the first floor. That was when Lin saw me. "Kiki! It's so nice to see you!" Lin called out. I groaned. "Ichigo, I'm going to take the box of mistletoes. See you later," I said, going back to the boxes full of ornaments.

I was holding the 'mistletoes' box when Lin came up to me. "Lin! What do you want now?" I asked. She put her hands on her hips. "You know what I want! So let's go!" She took my free hand and dragged me to the kitchens. "There's this guy named Hiroshi. I think he has a thing for me, you know what I mean?" Lin asked. I nodded fearfully. Lin told me to hang the mistletoe in the kitchen doorway. I did. "Good luck!" I shouted nervously. Lin gave me the thumbs up sign. I shivered for the second time. "Insanity." I said. I went to the second floor baths and hung some pieces of mistletoes there. Luckily, none of my roommates worked on that floor.

Third floor now. I was getting really nervous. Would I get caught under the mistletoe? I hoped not. Ai and Michi worked on this floor. They were the calm people, so I didn't have to worry about them. They spotted me after I came out of the elevator. Apparently, they had been waiting for me. "Kiki! It's good to see you again!" They shouted. Michi was a girl with curly strawberry-blonde hair cut to her shoulders. Ai was a redhead with straight hair cut to the middle of her neck. They took two pieces of mistletoe from me. "We just need the mistletoe! Thanks for your help!" Michi called back to me. I waved back.

I had helped almost all of my roommates, except for Keiko. She would be a pain to find. I went into another elevator and pulled the lever. "Keiko, if you're hiding up there, it's Kiki." I said to myself. The escape hatch at the top of the elevator opened. "Give some to me! Give some to me!" Keiko demanded. "It's a wonder Yubaba hasn't turned you into a pig yet." I chuckled, handing her a piece of mistletoe. The elevator stopped at a floor. I got out and started hanging mistletoe everywhere. "Kiki! Where've you been?" Chi shouted from across the floor.

He rushed to me. "This is my gift to you. I swiped it from the kitchen." Chi handed me an chocolate chip cookie. "Um, thanks! I got this for you…" I took a piece of mistletoe from my box and gave it to him. "Thanks for the cookie." I walked away from him, waving my hand.

*~*~*

**Part 2 of the Christmas Special! I posted this today to make up for the fact that I won't be updating tomorrow.**

**It's Christmas Eve 2009! Happy Holidays!**

**Word Count: 741**


	29. Elevator Trolls

I woke up the next morning. I sat up in my sleeping bag to see Ai staring at me. "Ai, what do you want?" I fell back onto my pillow. "Wake up, Kiki! Everyone else is already gone!" Ai told me. I sat up again. "Why didn't someone wake me up?" I said, standing up. "I was going to, but Lin said you were a klutz and to leave you alone." Ai sighed. "Lin's a klutz herself. I have to constantly correct her. I wonder how she manages to compose herself everyday." After she stopped speaking, I grabbed my uniform and rushed to put it on. I straightened out my hair and rushed out the door. "No thank you?" Ai called out from the room. "Thanks!" I shouted while turning a corner. I ran to the foreman's post. No one was stationed there.

"Hello? Anyone there?" I asked. I looked behind the post. No one was there, either. I looked on the podium. There was no assignment sheet. I was doomed. "Hey! What are you doing?" I looked to the side. It was a frog worker. "I just tripped. Sorry." I bowed to him and ran off. _What am I going to do? _I thought to myself. I saw the elevator. "Keiko," I said to myself. I walked to the elevator and went inside. I was the only person in the lift.

I pulled the lever. "Psst. Keiko. It's Kiki again." I whispered to her. The escape hatch opened. "What do you want, advice? Because you could really use it." Keiko suggested. I scowled. "I was late reporting to the foreman and now I don't know what my assignment is." She tilted her head to the side. "Why don't you come up here with me? It's fun spying on people." I widened my eyes. "So that's why Yubaba hasn't caught you yet! No one looks in the elevator shaft!" I exclaimed. "Come on! The elevator is about to open!" She reached her hand out for mine. I took it and she pulled me up into the shaft.

When we were both on top of the elevator, she closed the escape hatch.

The air was filled with dust. I coughed and covered my mouth. "How do you breathe up here?" I asked. "I've gotten used to it." She yawned. "What's that sack for?" I pointed to a large bag behind her. "Food," She replied. We heard the ding of the elevator and some people coming inside. We heard nothing interesting; just a conversation about how great the service was. The next group of people started talking about the entertainment at the bathhouse. They left after they thought they heard breathing noises above them. Smart guess.

The elevator opened to another floor. I could hear a male and female voice. The guy commented the girl on how good she looked, and then we heard some grunting sounds. "_I think they're screwing!_" Keiko mouthed to me. I blushed, but I didn't think there was enough light in the shaft for Keiko to see. I opened the escape hatch and peeked out. They were, in fact, screwing. "You two should stop -- the elevator is about to open." I said, my head sticking out of the hatch. "You want a threesome?" He said seductively. I took my head out of the hatch and closed it. Then I fainted.

*~*~*

**Rukia: Why did you put me in such a situation? That was very awkward.**

**Me: You wouldn't be in that situation if you hadn't overslept.**

**Rukia: ...True.**

**Me: Please review ~ Word Count: 651**


	30. The Top Floor Elevator

"Kiki, wake up?"

"…"

"Kiki, please wake up! Kiki!"

"…What?" I opened my eyes. I heard Keiko crying herself to pieces. I couldn't see very well, but I knew we were in the elevator shaft. "I'm so sorry, Kiki! I won't let a psycho like that scare you again!" She hugged me and was crying on my shirt. I patted her on the head. "It's okay. I was just startled, there was nothing you could've done." She looked at me and smiled. "I know I shouldn't cry over such things," She sniffed. "But I was really scared. I don't know where the man and the woman went, but I did hear them leave." I nodded, and blinked. "How long was I out?" I asked.

"Ten minutes or so. You can lose track of time on top of elevators." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "We should report this to Yubaba." I suggested. "What explanation would we have? That they started doing it in front of us?" Keiko sneezed. "We should just try to find them and chew them out." She said. "Is that the truth? But where'll we find them?" I asked. "It's bona fide. Trust me on this." Keiko sneezed again. "I think we can find them in the elevator for the top floor. It's risky, but no one ever uses it." I opened the escape hatch and peeked out. A few gods were inside.

"We'll leave when they leave," I said. When the gods exited the lift, so did we. We went straight to the elevator leading up to the next floor, the floor after that, the 4th floor (which was the floor after that floor), and then finally the 5th floor. I think the bathhouse has at least 10 levels; then again, I'm not so sure. We went to the elevator after that (by now, I was tired of going up!). After ten minutes of running across the bathhouse floors and evading foremen, we were in the elevator leading to the top floor.

The elevator opened and we saw no one. We heard no one. There was a eerie feeling of nothingness in the elevator. We entered it. "Maybe they're hiding and waiting for the right time." I said. "Or maybe they just turned invisible and they're doing it right now!" Keiko exclaimed. The elevator door closed. "And wow! I've never spied on anyone in the top floor elevator!" Keiko gasped. "This wallpaper! It's so beautifully drawn!" She felt the walls of the elevator. "Keiko, this is just a suggestion, but can we get into the elevator shaft now?" I asked, opening the escape hatch.

Keiko turned to me and had a sly grin on her face. "I'm going to spy on people in the top floor elevator. Oh my!" She mimicked with an English accent. She helped me up and then I reached out for her hand. I pulled her up and she shut the escape hatch. "We're riding on the top floor elevator! This is a once in a lifetime experience!" She grinned. "I've already rode on this elevator three times." I replied. "Well, you should take me along! I don't care about the risks!" She retorted. We both felt a jerk as the lift went up.

*~*~*

**Hey guys! It's the big THREE ZERO! Finally, 30 chapters. We'll probably get to fifty soon. -_-' Thanks to HanakoAnimeaddict for reviewing!**

**Word Count: 611**


	31. The Mary Sue

We both gulped. "Someone important must be using the elevator." Keiko said. "Just in case we are both turned into piles of coal, I just wanted to say it was nice meeting you." I extended my hand. She eagerly shook it as the elevator rose. We heard the _Ding!_ as the doors opened. Our future looked bleak. No doubt Yubaba would hear us breathing. I held my breath. "Will you look?" I mouthed to Keiko. She shook her head. "You want to?" She mouthed back. I sucked in all my breath and slid open the escape hatch. I saw who was in the elevator.

Lil' K'haku and a young woman were in the elevator. The girl had straight, violet hair that went down to her hips. She was wearing a turquoise kimono, and had turquoise eyes to match it. She had a small, but assuring smile. The woman looked dazzling in every way. Seriously. How does she keep her body like that? "Tama, you're going to appear for the guests?" Kohaku asked her. She nodded. "I'm not going to control them. Let them think what they will." She spoke in a shy voice. This was Tama? I thought she would be much taller, and have a deeper voice. I was proved wrong by a Mary Sue.

"The entertainment special is tonight?" Kohaku inquired. She nodded again. "Didn't Yubaba tell you? Some critics are traveling here to watch the performance." "It seems that you are popular in the spirit realm." "Indeed." Why was Kohaku talking with Tama? Then again, I did use The Power of the Author, so maybe he wasn't enemies with her yet. "When's the performance?" Kohaku asked. "A moment, please." She said, scanning the elevator. I lifted my head up before she could see me. "Ah, the emergency exit is open." Kohaku said. "Let me close that." I saw a few sparks of his magic, and the escape hatch closed.

"I sense that someone is watching us. We will talk later." She said almost robotically. We heard the _Ding! _and the elevator doors opened. They walked out. I looked at Keiko. I saw her shocked expression even through the limited light of the elevator shaft. "A performance? Tonight? And Tama? This is bound to be a disaster." She grabbed my shirt and pulled me towards her. "Listen up, Kiki! I'm only gonna say this once, got that?" She nearly shouted at me. "We're not allowed to say this in the bathhouse. If the old hag up on the top floor finds out I told you, it will be mayhem. But listen to what I have to say."

She gulped. "I don't want to hear what you have to say, Keiko. What does it have to do with me?" I asked. "Tama isn't a force to be messed with! She's extremely powerful, and misleading, too! I just know she's up to something bad. We need to stop her from manipulating those critics at her performance tonight!" "How do you know so much about them?" I frowned. "Everyone knows! We just can't talk about it! Everyone in the bathhouse lives in fear of Tama and Kohaku!" She shouted.

We heard another _Ding! _as someone else entered the elevator.

*~*~*

**I've been wondering what my command would be if I had a zanpakuto. Mine would be:**

**Cry yourself to death, [Zanpakuto name]! What's yours? leave a review by pressing the green button below.**

**Word Count: 618 **


	32. is doing crack

After the person left, Keiko forced me to leave the elevator without another word. I would've talked to her about her sudden change of mood, but she was anxious enough. I would have to let it slide until later. The problem was: I had no idea where to find Ichigo. I would have to use my sensing powers. Or something that could defy logic. Using my shinigami senses was still a better deal. It wouldn't interfere with the spiritual pressure of the bathhouse or the plot of the story. It was a good option.

**Me****: That's it! This is going to be the last chapter with crack in it! I promise!**

**Rukia****: It replaces the comic relief characters! That's why you made Keiko go serious! Don't stop now!**

**Ichigo****: This crack was interrupting the flow of the plot from the beginning! It's a wonder that people still read this story.**

**Everyone Else****: Since when did you get here?!**

**Me****: Let's settle this and just start off with a new sentence! Is everyone okay with that?**

**Ai****: We're still being used as characters against our wills.**

**Michi****: And when are you getting to the romantic part?**

**Lin****: Shut up, Michi! There won't be one if you keep that up.**

**Me****: I've decided that the characters in this story need a much appreciated break.**

**Keiko****: And we'll be back tomorrow!**

**Me****: Rukia, could you at least end the chapter with a few sentences?**

**Rukia****: Hold on! Give me some space.**

**Ichigo****: And be careful about it, too! I don't want to be squashed against the next paragraph!**

I started to pick up Chi's reiatsu. It seemed as if it was coming from one of the baths. This would be risky, since some workers must be wondering where I was. Tama seemed to be the 'Aizen' of the bathhouse. Even I didn't know where this was going, but I did remember one thing Chi said while we were traveling to the bathhouse.

"_This is how I was knocked out, Ichigo! Something lifted me up and flew me straight at the library doors!" I shouted over the moving air around us. "Well, at least make sure you don't fall off! I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride!" Ichigo shouted back._

"You were right, Chi. This ride is really...going to be bumpy...." I said to myself, as I walked away from the elevator on the first floor.

**DRAMA FAIL!**

*~*~*

**Word Count: 562**

**And if you clicked on the chapter list on the top or bottom of the screen, you can see the pun I had with the title of this and the last chapter. XD**


	33. Senses

After the person left, Keiko forced me to leave the elevator without another word. I would've talked to her about her sudden change of mood, but she was anxious enough. I would have to let it slide until later. The problem was: I had no idea where to find Ichigo. I would have to use my sensing powers. I started to pick up Chi's reiatsu. It seemed as if it was coming from one of the baths. This would be risky, since some workers must be wondering where I was. Tama seemed to be the 'Aizen' of the bathhouse. Even I didn't know where this was going, but I did remember one thing Chi said while we were traveling to the bathhouse.

"_This is how I was knocked out, Ichigo! Something lifted me up and flew me straight at the library doors!" I shouted over the moving air around us. "Well, at least make sure you don't fall off! I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride!" Ichigo shouted back._

"You were right, Chi. This really is going to be a bumpy ride." I said to myself, as I walked away from the elevator on the first floor. The floor was filled with workers, and some even bumped into me as they were running to their next assignment. _I wonder where Chi could be in the middle of this mess… _I thought. I looked around. Everyone was going around and getting work done. They were ignoring me. Not a single strawberry-head in the crowd. I examined my surroundings. "A dead end." I mused. I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. I saw many white ribbons.

I sifted through the ribbons. Some were just strands of yarn laced together and would fall apart if you touched them. Some ribbons had embroidery on them, but most were plain. _I need to search harder, _I thought. I opened my eyes. The first floor of the bathhouse was still a mess. _"Concentrate harder, Rukia. Can't you do that?" _A voice spoke in my head. _"Try to focus on one thing. One place. One person." _"Thanks for the tips Sode No Shirayuki, but I can't focus with your voice in my head." I said quietly. _"As you wish," _The voice said.

I let out a sigh of relief. Even though I still remembered my shinigami powers, I had nearly forgotten about my zanpakuto spirit. My eyes shut and I focused on one ribbon. That was Chi's ribbon. I opened my eyes to see that the room was deserted. There were no workers or guests. There was no steam rising up from the hot tubs. I wondered around the baths. A trail of blood was spilled on the floor. _Should I follow it? _I thought. I hesitated. My zanpakuto spirit eventually forced me to follow the blood streak.

*~*~*

**I'm feeling more as if this is just another Bleach story that's in the bathhouse setting. I'll try to make it more Spirited Away-ish.**

**Word Count: 544**


	34. Assassination

_This smells horrible… _I covered my nose with my sleeve, and unwillingly followed the streak of blood. The streak was going past the foreman's podium. Following the trail with my eyes, I saw something at the end of the hallway. It was the huge body of someone lying face down on the floor. Partly submerged in a pool of blood, I saw signs of decaying. "Could that be…?" I muttered. "It can't! It's…It's…!" Something covered my eyes. "Who could do such a thing?" I heard one of the frogs say. My eyes opened. The bathhouse was back to normal. The first floor was busier than ever.

Workers upon workers rushed in front of me and some of the gods were going mad. I saw Lin in the crowd next to the radish spirit. "What's happening?" I grabbed the first person I saw. She was the forewoman for the fifth floor. "I don't know! That's why I came down here." She shrugged and walked away from me. Kohaku sped past everyone as the crowd looked on. "She's dead!" Kohaku shouted. _A __she__? I thought it was… _The workers that were gathered started to push and shove to see who had died. "It's the witch! The witch is dead!" They jeered. "The witch…Yubaba?!" I glowered.

"This is blasphemy." The person beside me said. "This is madness!" Another exclaimed. "Madness? THIS! IS!" I glared at them. "I thought we agreed to no crack." They were silent.

**THAT NIGHT!**

"Yubaba was assassinated?!" Keiko yelled. Ai kicked her. "Someone who hides out in an elevator wouldn't know." Ai groaned. "Plus, Tama's performance was postponed. Can you believe that?" I raised my hand. "Who's Tama?" I asked. "You know that person in the cloak? That's her." Michi held her hands behind her head. "She's absolutely perfect! I want to become just like her, someday. Then everyone would want to be my friend." Keiko declared, grinning ear to ear. "Ha! That'll be the day. Who would want to be like Tama? I'm sure she just brainwashed you." Lin frowned.

"By the way Kiki, you said we could go drinking again. When are you free?" She asked. "You still remember that?" I asked. "Sure, I got tipsy, but that doesn't mean I can't remember things!" Lin flicked me on the forehead. "Hey! That hurt!" I held my head. _So their memories of the night before weren't erased? _"Sorry Lin. But I told you I don't drink!" I objected. "It's curfew! Everyone go to sleep!" The Creepy Guy called out from the hallway. "You're not fun! Loosen up a little, will ya Kiki?" She whispered while diving into her sleeping bag.

I sneaked out of the room and onto the balcony. The moon still shone through a cloudy sky. You couldn't see any stars, though. There was a dense fog over the ocean, but the faint glimmer of a train's lights could be seen. I sat down and looked down over the wooden bars. _I wasn't able to find Chi today._ _And_ _how is Kohaku taking Yubaba's death? Why were the workers so happy about it, too? _I hit my head against the wooden bars. _Everything is messing with my logic. _I thought. _Especially the cloaked person, Tama. _

*~*~*

**Oh noes! I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday! It was very busy at my house, to say the least. Happy New Years, everyone!**

**P.S. For the zanpakuto (Soul Slayer) command a few chapters back, I put 'Cry Yourself To Death' because there are a TON of drama queens at summer camp. It's BAAAAADDDD.**

**Word Count: 675**


	35. Festival!

"KIKI! WAKE UP!"

I woke up from a hit to the back of my head. "Ow, ow! Who did that…?" I fell over and saw the grinning face of Michi.

"Kiki, what have you been doing outside?" She frowned. "Ah…doesn't matter. But guess what!" The door behind me opened and I was pulled back into the room. "The cherry blossom festival is near!" All of the girls, except for Lin, squealed.

"We'll get to wear the pretty dresses!" Ai mentioned cheerfully. "What are they called… Yukata! It's been so long since I've worn them!" She smiled and started to flutter around the room. "It's going to be amazinnnng. Trust me!" She touched down back at her old seat.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Aren't yukata bathing clothes?" Lin stated with a hint of disgust.

Keiko said, "What does it matter if they're bathing cl --"

"As long as we're still young, we get to wear the pretty yukata! That's all that matters." Michi interrupted. Before long, everyone except for me was in a quarrel about what to wear, what to bring, and how to get Lin involved. I looked around and sighed.

"Will you all calm down? I've never been to a cherry blossom festival and I was fine. Maybe you should get to work and I could help you with making the yukata." I crossed my arms and looked at them. Lin and Keiko were eying me, Ai was gaping, and Michi was sobbing.

"You'd really do that for us, Kiki?" Michi sniffed.

"You've never been to a cherry blossom festival?" Ai asked sourly. "Where have you been?"

"And you were fine?" Lin questioned, not fully convinced.

"One more thing: how old are you?" Keiko raised an eyebrow.

I felt pressed against an invisible wall. All the girls were now looking at me with dark faces. Sunlight came in from the window, and I could hear ducks quacking in the hallways. "Awaken, sleepyheads! All you workers, get up! You have a long day ahead of you ~" The Creepy Guy ordered. The girls looked at each other and groaned. I took this chance to hastily put my working clothes on and run out of the room.

"F-foreman!" I called out, fastening my apron to my waist. "What's the report for today?"

"Not so good, Kiki! So many visitors are coming because of the cherry blossom parties!" He turned around and hurried to his post. "Get to work immediately!"

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

**Off hiatus! Finally! I will be updating often, but not everyday. Thanks for alerting and favoriting, everyone!**

**Word Count: 469**


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